


Beyond the Water

by lyaspaixao



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:07:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29826093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lyaspaixao/pseuds/lyaspaixao
Summary: The fall of Regulus Arcturus Black.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Beyond the Water

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think about this one shot! Thank you for reading <3

He could be brave like Sirius. 

That’s the only thought he had when he ordered Kreacher to take him to the cave. 

Sirius Orion Black. His brother. Legitimate Heir of the House of Black. 

They hadn’t talked to each other in years besides arguments and provocations in Hogwarts’ halls. So close from a young age, now they represented two different sides. A Gryffindor and a Slytherin. A Death Eater and a member of the Order of the Phoenix. Light and Dark. 

Their parents made life unbearable, but he had Sirius. He had his brother to trust, rely, talk and love. Sirius was the only friend he ever had. They would hide in the attic for hours to escape from their mother and later, Sirius would take the blame for his little brother. 

But years later, he disappointed Sirius for the first time. The pain of him being pushed away because he was sorted into Slytherin was enough for a lifetime. More even, when he was walking into the library one day and heard Sirius calling James Potter his “brother”. 

Sirius broke his heart in many ways. 

He was charismatic, friendly, funny, and more important, a Gryffindor. Everybody wanted to be his friend. Of course he found a replacement for Regulus with such ease. Was he really that replaceable? 

Regulus hadn’t any friends in Slytherin, only acquaintances. Severus Snape, Evan Rosier and Barty Crouch Junior. They made the effort of trying being his friend, but Regulus was always so fixated in the hole his brother left that he couldn’t make any friends. 

He had trusted one person in his entire life, and this person left. Unconditional love didn’t last long for Regulus Black, not from his parents and not from his brother. 

Regulus was fifteen when his brother ran away from home, he was destroyed. He hadn’t any motive to talk to Sirius now. And when he was forced into being a Death Eater, he accepted his fate. What hurt the most is that he made exactly what Sirius always said he would do. He disappointed his brother again. 

Join or die. 

He thought about it for a long time, but in the end, he was a coward. Like Sirius always said he was. Regulus hadn’t anything to lose when he took that mark. 

When he discovered about the Horcrux, for the first time in years he felt happiness. He was happy because now he could make Sirius proud. But his debt with life was so high that for the sake of doing the right thing, he had to face death. It was unfair that in eighteen years, he only spent eleven with his brother. Perhaps one day the Black brothers would reunite. 

He entered that cave with his chin up, impersonating the persona of Sirius Black. Kreacher apparated them to little island in the middle of a huge amount of water. As he raised the shell with the fatal potion, part of him expected Sirius to appear behind him and start rambling some of his nonsense like ‘you’re so dramatic, Reggie’. The irrational part of his brain made him look around the cave, just to be sure, but the only thing he found was Kreacher bailing his eyes out beside him. 

Regulus knelt in the stones. “No need to cry, Kreacher. We both know how much I deserve this.” 

The elf wiped away his tears. “M-master Regulus! Kreacher will miss to serve his favourite little Master.” 

He did what he had never done in his entire life, he wrapped his arms around the figure in front of him. “I’ll miss you too, my friend. I’m grateful for everything you have done for me. But now, I need you to promise me that you’ll force me to drink the potion even when I beg you to stop.” 

“Y-yes, Master,” Kreacher sobbed, his hands carefully touching Regulus’ arms during the hug. 

He pulled away, and both stared at each other for a moment before they gave a last nod of recognition. A friendship that kept Regulus sane after all those years alone with his parents at 12 Grimmauld Place. 

He started screaming as soon as he took a sip from the shell, his voice echoing in the empty and large cave, in the middle of somewhere. The potion was the worst thing he had experienced in his whole life. It was a joke to compare this type of pain to his mother’s beatings or taking the mark. Even the Cruciatus Curse that his old Master loved to use on him because he constantly failed in being a good follower was better than this. 

This potion was pure cruelty, made with the only intent to cause excruciating pain. 

After the second gulp, his legs couldn’t keep hold on firmly, so his knees buckled up. Regulus fell to the ground, crying and crawling to get to the water, he was so thirsty. 

Kreacher grabbed the collar of his shirt and started to drag him back. “Master Regulus, Kreacher is very sorry, b-but Kreacher p-promised.” 

He begged for him to stop, but the elf kept making him drink more and more of the liquid, even when he chocked multiple times. His tall and thin body was trembling in pain and he couldn’t keep the urge to drink water away, so he crawled again to the good amount he was seeing. Kreacher was busy changing the real locket for a fake one. 

Regulus had no idea of what lied in the back of that lake. 

His eyes widened in pure terror when he touched the water and bony fingers wrapped around his wrist. That mad bastard had an army of Inferi guarding the Horcrux. His fate became clear as soon as they started to pull him under the water. Regulus was expecting to eventually die because of the potion, not to be drowned by the Inferi. Maybe this was the suffering he had to endure to pay for all his bad decisions. 

Kreacher started to panic when he saw what was happening and tried to help, but Regulus was fast to interrupt. 

“No, Kreacher! Go back home and destroy the locket! Don’t tell anyone about this, it’s my final order to you!” 

His only friend was still crying when he bowed. “It was an honour to serve you, brave Master Regulus, defender of house-elves.” 

The last thing he heard before falling completely into the cold water was the sound of Disapparition. 

He was panicking like a child underwater, using his last string of strength to try release himself from the Inferi. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t. Realization filled his lungs along with water. 

Regulus Black allowed himself to close his eyes and have no fear, the monster soon will be gone. 

In his last thought, he wondered what would happen if he was re-sorted at this point of his life. If he’d be worthy of the Gryffindor house and his brother’s affection.


End file.
